New & Noteworthy is a weekly column in which we highlight some of the newest rock and metal releases coming out each week. This week features a lot of cool new releases, including Suicide Silence, Born of Osiris, Persefone and Ex Deo. If you want to check out last week’s releases or see the latest sales numbers you can do so here, and here. Last week we say Overkill to their highest US debut at #26 on the charts, beating out their own personal best set by 2014’s White Devil Armory!
Suicide Silence, Suicide Silence (Nuclear Blast)
California based deathcore band Suicide Silence have returned with their follow-up to their 2014 release You Can’t Stop Me. The self-titled album is the second release featuring Eddie Hermida on vocals, who replaced the deceased Mitch Lucker in 2013. This album sees Suicide Silence at their most experimental, deviating from their signature deathcore sound on some tracks, especially so with clean vocals and a distinct nu-metal influence found on their first single, “Doris.” The change in direction has proved polarizing, with fans both loving and hating the move. Videos of the band playing some of the new tracks live surfaced earlier this week, so after you give the studio versions a listen be sure to check those out.
Six Feet Under, Torment (Metal Blade)
Torment is the twelfth studio from the legendary Florida death metal group Six Feet Under. It is the first album to feature Marco Pitruzzella (The Faceless, Vital Remains, etc.) on drums. Earlier in the month we caught up with frontman Chris Barnes to talk about the release, so be sure to check that out here. Yesterday we got a full band playthrough video for the song “Schizomaniac.”
Persefone, Aathma (ViciSolum)
Aathma, the fifth studio album from Andorran progressive death metal group Persefone, marks the band’s 16th year together and shows they have no sign of stopping or slowing down. On top of being unable to see them at ProgPower USA 2015 due to Visa issues, it has been a long wait since they last released The Great Migration back in 2013, an album hailed as a masterpiece by Heavy Blog is Heavy. The album is also the first to feature Sergi Verdeguar and Filipe Baldaia, on drums and guitar respectively. The album was mix and mastered by Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studio, a fact that I insist on including any chance I get.
Zeal & Ardor, Devil is Fine (MVKA)
Anyone that claims metal is running out of ideas hasn’t heard Zeal & Ardor’s Devil is Fine yet. The brainchild of Swiss musician Manuel Gagneux, it seamlessly combines negro spirituals, delta blues, black metal and even some electronic music to create a hybrid that sounds like it was dreamed up online, which is exactly how he got the idea to make the album. Now fleshed out with a live band, this album, which initially was released last year, is getting a proper physical release here. You can understand how some people might have made this one of their top albums of the year in 2016.
Born of Osiris, The Eternal Reign (Sumerian)
BoO took a curious route with this one, deciding to re-record and re-work all of the songs from their debut album The New Reign for it’s 10 year anniversary. So sit back, compare the two and see how far these guys have come since they debuted back in high school. Guitarist Lee Mckinney had this to say about the release: “This past year we decided to re-record our debut. I know what you’re thinking…. “they took the album and sent it to someone else to re-mix / re-master and they are going to re-package and re-sell it.” Wrong! We went to the studio, re-recorded the entire thing, changed guitar riffs/drum parts/bass/vocals and even recorded a new song that I wish made it onto the original version 10 years ago. This song “Glorious Day” was made before some of the other songs that made the original recording. ”
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Flying Microtonal Banana (ATO)
Australia’s psychedelic rock group King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard are poised to have a busy year. Flying Microtonal Banana is as bizarre as the name suggests (the band’s and the the album’s), and is only the first of their planned five for the year. Drop in, smoke up, and ride the Gizzard, things won’t be getting any less weird from here.
Felix Martin, Mechanical Nations (Self-released)
Guitar virtuoso Felix Martin, a master of two hand tapping on custom designed guitars with more strings than he has fingers (pending citation), brings his signature style on Mechanical Nations. The instrumental album is insanely technical, incorporating Felix’s many jazz, latin, and fusion influences into his own style. Bought directly from his website includes a signed hard copy of the album and a guitar string used by Felix during the recording of the album.
Ex Deo, The Immortal Wars (Napalm)
Canada’s Ex Deo have returned after from hiatus, and have come bearing presents in the form of The Immortal Wars. Five years since their last release, Caligvla, we get a heavy metal history lesson on the Punic Wars, a series of wars fought between Rome and Carthage during the years of 264 BC to 146 BC.
Kill the Precedent, Some Version of the Truth (Minus HEAD)
When Sacramento’s Kill the Precedent released Dialogues With the Dead in 2013, they were a toxic blend of punk and industrial, not unlike Jello Biafra and Al Jourgensen’s project Lard. For this seven song EP, they’ve embraced their hardcore side a little more. The electronic elements are in check, but they’re still angry as hell.
